Mary Margaret O'Hara's new album

URGENT AND KEY NEW ANSWERS. Has anyone heard it? Sean?

Must... buy... now. Scatman Carruthers to thread...

Dastoor, No sign of a UK release date, Can be ordered @ MapleMusic.com This is a pre-order item, shipping on March 1, 2002.

so she's catholic huh?

Hmm.. well that site reviewed it in January but MapleMusic (who seem to be the only people stocking it HAS THE WORLD CHANGED OR HAVE I CHANGED?) say it's not out till next week. How did the Scatman get his copy?

Sorry, I was as excited about it when I saw it. I picked mine up at HMV downtown. Immediate thoughts:

1) It's not completely a Mary Margaret O'Hara album, because there are a couple of tracks by other people (it's a soundtrack album after all). That said, it's close enough...13 of 14 tracks are her.
2) Initial reaction: it's not as deep as Miss America. Mind you, I've only listened through a couple of times. It's very jazzy and slight in places, which is probably in keeping with the plot of the movie, in which she stars as a homeless woman who sings, from what I understand. Could be wrong, though.
3) Still, that VOICE. Even when the music seems far more slight than we remember from her, that voice is the important part. There are parts that are sweetly pretty, but in other places she sounds like she's undergoing an exorcism. Which is pretty much like Miss America.
4) I keep saying "slight", and the main reason is probably because the band is pared down a lot. Miss America had a lot of people on it, but this one is trimmed down to a very small core of performers, including Rusty McCarthy on guitars and Mike Sloski on drums, with a few others guesting on various tracks. So the sound is still recognizably her, even if it isn't as expansive.

5) As a soundtrack, it's more of a collection of songs than a coherent statement. Some of those songs are DAMN GOOD but it just can't hold together as well as Miss America did. Bottom line: I think this one is going to be a hell of an album once I let it set in, but don't get your hopes up TOO high, because it's not really the album we've been waiting for. It's probably as close as we're going to get for a while, though.

The HMV website also claims that it's not out until March, but I swear I found it on the shelf there. Maybe someone goofed up and put it out too early? Not gonna complain too much about that.

It's probably as close as we're going to get for a while, though....

Considering it's been, what, 14 years or so since the last one, I suspect most will not quibble. ;-)

One of the best places to find MMOH dotted about in those intervening 14 years has been albums by the Henrys. I have the first two, but does anyone have 'Desert Cure'? If so, how many songs does she sing? I asked this before but no one responded.

allmusic.com doesn't know what the "Desert Cure" album is. I suppose that if it's gonna turn up anywhere it'll be here in town. Their webpage's reviews section indicates that she does indeed appear on that album, but there's no indication just how much. Other places where she's turned up:

• Meryn Cadell's last album Six Blocks
• John Southworth's album Banff Springs Transylvania
• The September Songs compilation of Kurt Weill material

She performed at the Rivoli on Feb 13--check out the picture on the Chart Magazine website. I'm a tool who doesn't know html, so here is the link:

http://www.chartattack.com/gallery/

I'm sure folks already know these, but M2OH crops up on Gary Lucas' Gods and Monsters album ("Poison Tree") and on her songs (if not her voice) appear on Holly Cole's Don't Smoke In Bed ("So and So") and Dear Dark Heart (the title track and "Brighter Lonely Day").

Holy heck - this is staggering news! I'm off to put on Miss America right now, I haven't even *thought* about M2OH for about 5 years. Can it be as good as I once thought? Will report back.

Can it be as good as I once thought?
I listened to it this morning as well. Back in 1988 it really struck me. It had been played in a record shop where I asked who it was and I bought the album immediately. It probably also left such a deep impression as my then girl-friend had left me that summer. Still one of my favourite female voices. An amazing disc. Her phrasing (is that the word?) is absolutely unique. I am quite surprised that you like her Dr.C. From Joni Mitchell to Mary Margaret O'Hara it is not such a long way. Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is in a similar vein though it maybe is a little too jazz-rocky.

**I am quite surprised that you like her Dr.C**.

Why?

**From Joni Mitchell to Mary Margaret O'Hara it is not such a long way**

They happen to be female Canadian singer-songwriters, I'll concede that, but they have as much in common in my musical world as Bach and Britney.

I'd like to know what you have heard of Joni Mitchell Dr.C. What don't you like about her exactly? The voice, the lyrics or the tunes? When "Miss America" came out for me it was the album I would have wanted Joni Mitchell to make at that time. I wanted her to sound like M2OH. After "Wild Things Run Fast" from 1981/82 all her 80s albums were huge disappointments. Of course Joni's sound is much more 70s. With a folk touch. But she also loved jazz and integrated it in her music. Jaco Pastorius contributes a lot to the sound of "Hejira" with his electric bass which sounds so warm. Later on she did this Mingus tribute album and Mingus died during the completion if I remember well. I find Joni's and Mary Margaret's music quite similar. Take "Court and Spark" with "Help Me", "Down to You", "Just Like this Train" and "Twisted". The way Joni sings must have been an influence to M2OH. I find M2OH is a jagged up-to-date version of Joni. The beautiful relaxed harmonies are replaced by more dynamic and nervous ones.

I think the Joni lineage leads to Jane Siberry rather than M2OH. This new lp is wonderful news.

The only albums I've heard all the way through are Blue and For The Roses. I have (somewhere) two career-spanning c90's which a friend made for me, in order to persuade me that I should take notice. The odd track is splendid - Both Sides Now, Cold Steel Fire or whatever it's called, but I can't sit through more than about 6 tracks before wanting to chew a limb off. Any more than around 9 tracks and the urge to put on Motorhead or The Sex Pistols is too strong to resist.

Why? It's just so *confessional* in a hippy-ish kinda way. It conjours up images of long-skirted,lank haired girls and goofy bearded blokes passing joints and *getting in touch with one another's feelings* in a meadow somewhere. Perhaps at a festival, or in a commune. Maybe a small group of naked children frolic nearby.

Soon, this is supplanted in my imagination by an alternative vision - me stomping on their campfire and snapping the necks of their acoustic guitars. Offensive and irrational - quite probably, but it's a strong enough reaction to be counted as a damn good reason to avoid frequent exposure to the works of Mitchell.

Just a short last reply:
- I never saw Joni as representing these hippie ideas and lifes. BTW I only discovered her around 1985. Of course her music is confessional. But what is so bad about that. Another word for confessional in my naive world is honest.
- I was too young to take part in hippie culture. My parents were too old for that. Therefore I always had a secret admiration for hippiedom esp. the non-authoritarian aspect. Apparently you never did Dr.C. Punk later on somehow was too vulgar and banal for me at the time.
So then please go on and discuss on that other great Canadian female singer.

*Therefore I always had a secret admiration for hippiedom esp. the non-authoritarian aspect*

As a yout' it always struck me that 'authority' would be happier to have me sitting around in a field too fried to move, rather than getting right in their face.

*Punk later on somehow was too vulgar and banal for me at the time*

I have vulgar and banal tendencies, it's true.

who the hell is mary margaret o'hara?

allmusic.com is your friend.

But not as dear friends as us.

Thanks to Maple Music, I'm now holding this in my hand (I'm typing one-fingered). I might even listen to it later. Dastoor: I expect you've got yours too.

I have indeed. As expected, there's quite a lot of noodling that I can take or leave, but hey it's a soundtrack. But God, now I've heard 'Dream I Had (II)' my life feels more complete.

Sooooooooooo,
Apartment Hunting as good as you hoped for?

As I said somewhere else, terrific in parts (esp. Dream I Had II), and wacko noodly jazz soundtrack in others.

Wasn't this the thing that came out a year or two ago?

Yup, check the dates of the first few answers.

I picked up Miss America on record yesterday but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet (too busy with The Sound's 'From the Lions Mouth') - I guess most people will say it's classic but does anybody think it's a dud?

my sister does. i think that she considers her vocal style exaggerated. i disagree. my aunt's partner once commented on her stage mannerisms: he said she swayed back and forth; i couldn't tell if he disapproved. if she makes another album, i think it would be nice to hear sparer production without an entire band as back up.

what a strange world.

"if she makes another album, i think it would be nice to hear sparer production without an entire band as back up."

I always wished that the mention of Michael Brooks' "infinite guitar" playing in the liner notes was more audible on the album.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Rheos should back her up.
And on Tim's note, Sundar, you should do your next piece for infinite guitar.

Margaret Mary O'Hara is my mums name.

this thread's reappearence tipped the scales, ok I bought it. and now I'm just wondering why did I wait?

Sean's review (six posts into the thread) sums it up. Although at moments I think I prefer the 'slight' instrumentation to Brook's polish. Also, doing a soundtrack allowed her to do some fragmentary pieces that wouldn't have fit within an all-song album; she gets even further out. So it's a casual affair overall, but every second she's singing, you don't care, she sounds incredible, better than ever.

It's great, it starts out as something you could play for your Julie Christy / Nat King Cole lovin' parents, but seconds into track 2 the demons show up, and want out.

Playing 'Chez Le Nez Suite' again now, she is going off on something and we'll never know what